Seven Dials is a district surrounding a major road junction of the same name in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, in the city of

Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages. Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...

. It is located on high ground just northwest of

Brighton railway station Brighton railway station is the southern terminus of the Brighton Main Line in England, and the principal station serving the city of Brighton, East Sussex. It is from via . The station is managed by Govia Thameslink Railway, which operat ...

, south of the Prestonville area, and approximately ¾ mile north of the seafront. The name refers to the seven roads which radiate outwards from the

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford Eng ...

-controlled junction, and is derived from a seven-way junction in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

featuring a monument with six sundials. The roundabout itself, constructed in 1925 is notable as an early example of this type of road junction in the UK, and preceded the installation of semaphore signals in Brighton in 1927.

Location

In central Brighton, where seven roads meet; clockwise from the north, these are: *Prestonville Road *Chatham Place, (B2122) leading to New England Road and Preston Circus - another major road junction *Buckingham Place, (A2010) leading to the railway station by way of a sharply curving downhill slope *Dyke Road,(A2121) one of the city's main roads - leading to the city centre * Vernon Terrace,(B2122) leading to Montpelier Road and the seafront *Goldsmid Road,(sic) (B2020) leading into Davigdor Road and Cromwell Road into

Hove Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th ...

*The northward continuation of Dyke Road, (A2010) leading eventually to the Devil's Dyke beauty spot on the

South Downs The South Downs are a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the Eastbourne Downland Estate, East Sussex, in the eas ...

Development

The area began to be developed with a mixture of terraced houses and more substantial Victorian villas shortly after the London and Brighton Railway opened sections of its lines in the area. The route westwards to Shoreham-by-Sea (opened in 1840) ran through the area, while the

Brighton Main Line The Brighton Main Line (also known as the South Central Main Line) is a major railway line in the United Kingdom that links Brighton, on the south coast of England, with central London. In London the line has two branches, out of and station ...

(1841) and the throat of Brighton station lie on the eastern edge. A 2013 revamp of the junction is intended to improve its appearance, make it safer for cyclists, and easier for pedestrians. There was some disagreement during the public consultation phase beforehand. A campaign to prevent the removal of an elm tree from the top of Vernon Terrace – with protesters camping in the tree — was successful, with works being changed to keep it.

Gallery

Image:St_Lukes_OSRd_Brighton.jpg, St Luke's Church, at 64 Old Shoreham Road, was built in 1875. The eastern side, on Stanford Road, is shown here. Image:Stanford_Road_Junior_School.jpg, Stanford Road school, built in 1893. Notice the entrance marked "BOYS".

Image:Hamilton_Road,_Brighton.jpg, Hamilton Road runs south-eastwards down the hill, and looks down on the twin-arched roof of Brighton station. Image:Brighton_Station_(Towards_Seven_Dials).jpg, Looking up the hill towards Seven Dials, beyond Brighton station, emphasising the change in gradient. The buildings in the centre background are in Howard Place. Image:Seven_Dials_(Vernon_Terrace).jpg, Seven Dials roundabout from Buckingham Place, looking west towards Vernon Terrace (left) and Goldsmid Road (right). Image:Montpelier_Crescent.jpg, Montpelier Crescent is a crescent of houses opposite Vernon Terrace, just south of the Seven Dials roundabout. Image:Vernon_Terrace.jpg, The northern end of Vernon Terrace, looking towards Seven Dials (the tree is close to the junction itself). The start of Montpelier Crescent is on the right.

References

External links

{{Brighton and Hove Areas of Brighton and Hove